QUANTUM STATISTICS OF METASTABLE LIQUID HELIUM

摘要

Experimental studies of homogeneous cavitation give information on the limit of stability of liquids, the "spinodal limit". The slope of the spinodal line in the (P ― T) plane has been related to the sign of the isobaric expansion coefficient of the liquid. Using quantum statistics, we give theoretical arguments to explain the existence of a minimum in the spinodal line of liquid helium 3, for which experimental evidence has been reported. The calculations involve the shape of the dispersion curve of collective excitations. We present a similar analysis in the case of superfluid helium 4; we also consider the overpressurized region, and the location of the superfluid transition line in the metastable regions.